3 men arrested in Thursday robbery of Jefferson bank

3 men arrested in Thursday robbery of Jefferson bank

Metairie — A New Orleans man and his nephew have been accused of robbing a Jefferson Parish bank Thursday afternoon, and authorities also arrested a third suspect in the incident.

Brian Carriere, 58, of New Orleans, Joseph Carriere, 58, of Jefferson, and Kenneth Hills, 52, of New Orleans, were booked with armed robbery after authorities say they robbed the Metairie Bank in the 3600 block of Jefferson Highway at about 1:25 p.m. Thursday. The two Carriere men are uncle and nephew, and Hills is an acquaintance, said Col. John Fortunato, a sheriff’s spokesman. No bail had been set for the men on Friday afternoon, and they were being held at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center.

Fortunato said witnesses saw two masked men enter the bank, and one was armed with a revolver while the other carried a sawed-off shotgun. One robber jumped the counter and held his gun on tellers while he ordered them to give him cash. The second bandit went to the rear of the bank to keep watch over employees there, Fortunato said. After securing the money, the two robbers fled on foot.

Fortunato said the Sheriff’s Office began receiving calls from residents who saw the masked men fleeing the bank and saw a red dye pack explode outside of the bank. Witnesses reported seeing the robbers get into a tan vehicle and flee the scene. One witness managed to jot down a license plate on the vehicle, Fortunato said. That witness followed the vehicle to the Shrewsbury area but lost sight of it there.

Deputies flooded the scene and ran a check on the vehicle using the license plate. They were able to obtain a match at 2614 Tennessee St., where they relocated. Fortunato said the Sheriff’s Office was assisted by officers from the FBI and the Louisiana State Police.

On Thursday afternoon, authorities located the vehicle a block away from Tennessee Street. While in the area, authorities saw two men leap from a window, Fortunato said. Those men fled on foot but were later caught, and authorities reported seeing one of them toss a ski mask as he ran, Fortunato said. Those two suspects were later identified as the Carrieres.

Fortunato said both men were found with a large amount of money, and Joseph Carriere had red dye stains on his shirt. Under questioning, Joseph Carriere refused to cooperate, but his uncle not only discussed the robbery but pointed investigators to a third suspect who was not in custody. Brian Carriere told authorities that Hills served as the getaway driver for the robbery and said Hills was with the men when they scouted the bank earlier that day.

Fortunato said authorities were able to find Hills at a nearby store, where he was arrested without incident. Hills also had on clothing with red stains. All three suspects have multiple prior arrests.